Machine for manufacturing cigars



. 24, 1935. A. KRAMER MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING CIGARS Filed Nov. 30, 1954 Fig.4

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Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING CIGARS Alfred Kramer, Haslach, Germany Application November 30, 1934, Serial No. 755,452 In Germany December 7, 1933 Claims.

into individual cigars.

In known machines for manufacturing cigars of this class in a continuous rod the forming channel comprises either rollers disposed parallel to the axis of the channel and rotating only about their own axis so as to merely roll the tobacco whereas the rod formed is fed by a separate means consisting of a mandrel moving to and fro in the channel in axial direction; this construction is open to the objection that the mandrel, instead of feeding the tobacco, often causes a swelling thereof in the channel which is thus clogged. Or the channel is formed of a plurality of narrow endless bands rotating jointly about the axis of the channel and, simultaneously, revolving separately in planes passing through this axis so as to serve for both rolling the tobacco and feeding the rod formed thereof; this construction suffers from the drawback that the tobacco fed to the channel in the direction thereof is suddenly caused to rotate on entering the channel, so that it is actually not rolled, i. e., turned over and over and pressed, but twisted like a rope; furthermore, this construction, too, easily leads to swellings at the channel inlet and outlet.

According to my invention, the forming channel comprises means which rotate obliquely to the axis of the channel about the same or about axes parallel thereto so as to helically advance "the tobacco in the channel to which it is fed for instance through a longitudinal gap. In this way, the tobacco is properly rolled and the rod formed thereof is steadily fed without any swellings. The channel is preferably formed by an endless band which always revolves in the same direction and passes in the form of an S-loop through a trough disposed obliquely to the direction of travel thereof, leaving open below its part coming out of this trough a gap for the entrance of the fed tobacco and returning to its former direction of motion after its emergence from the trough. This construction affords the advantage that the band, i. e., the means forming the I channel, can serve also for supplying the chanlineal feeding motion, immediately on reaching the channel, passes over into the helical rolling and advancing motion.

By way of example, my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 5 is a side view and Fig. 2 is a top view of a machine according to the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the endless driving band a, both sides of which are horizontally arranged, runs at both ends of the machine, of

which the right-hand end is not shown, over a roller 1) and is rotated by one of these rollers in the direction of the arrows a: in Fig. 1. The endless feeding and rolling band 0 runs, chiefly horizontally, at both ends of the machines over two smaller rollers d. The top side of the band 0 lies, for the most part, on that of the band a and is pressed against it by means described below, so that the band a during its movement frictionally drives the band 0. 2O Immediately above the top side of the band a and horizontally and obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the bands CL and c a trough formed by a member of sheet metal 6 of arc-like cross section and a plurality of thin rollers are disposed. The rollers 1 lie in two arcs concentric with the member 6 and parallel to the axis thereof closely together on the inside and the outside of the member e and engage with a journal at both ends a guide g, Fig. 2, secured to the machine frame, not shown, and also having the form of an arc concentric with the member 6. The top side of the band c runs in the form of an S-loop backwardly through the trough e,f and, after emerging from this trough, returns on the outside thereof to its former direction of travel. The half portion of the S-shaped part of the band 0 disposed in the trough ef constitutes the cylindricalforming channel h, Fig. 1, and the other half leaves between itself and the band portion underneath a gap 1' for the entrance of the tobacco into the forming channel it. The fillers, binders and wrappers are placed by hand or by an automatic device in rows extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bands 0: and c and side by side upon the top side of the band 0 at the right-hand end of the machine, not shown, the fillers being arranged on the top half according to Fig. 2, the binders beside the fillers and the wrappers beside the binders on the lower half. The band 0 carries all this tobacco, passes it through the gap i into the forming channel h, shapes therein the fillers by helical rolling into a continuous rod moving in the direction of the arrow y, Fig. 2, and by rolling the binders and wrappers around this rod forms it into a finished cigar rod 7:: which moves out of the channel it in the direction of the arrow 1 This rod 70 is then cut up into individual cigars (stumps) by a device arranged near the machine, but not shown.

The top side of the driving band a lies for the most part on a series of rollers Z disposed transversely to the bands a and c and mounted at both ends in immovable bars m positioned parallel to the bands. Directly above the top side of the rolling band a device is provided which serves for keeping the filler in a thin layer on the band 0 up to its entrance into the gap i and, simultaneously, for firmly pressing the band 0, by means of the filler layer, against the band a and the outside of the trough e-- This device comprises a number of rollers n,-a frame 0 secured to the machine frame, in which the rollers n are mounted side by side and transversely to the bands a. and c, and a third endless band 1).

The latter, which, for the most part, is horizontally positioned, runs over two rollers q, then, with its lower side, closely below the rollers 11, and above the top side of the band cat a distance therefrom, then between the trough ef and the curved front member of the frame 0 disposed directly beside and parallel to the trough, i. e., at the same inclination to the longitudinal direction of the bands at and c, and, finally, over the portion of the band 0 located on the outside of the trough and over a third roller 1", so that it is driven by this band owing to frictional contact therewith and with the layer of tobacco disposed thereon and moved in the direction of the arrows 2, Fig. 1. The frame 0 with the rollers 12 may have some up and down motion and be capable of being pressed against the top side of the bands a and c by the action of springs, not shown.

The rolling band 0 during its travel through and around the trough ef, owing to the inclination thereof relative to its longitudinal direction, is displaced to a corresponding extent in the direction of the arrow w, Fig. 2, and, during its further travel, has to be pushed back to the same extent so as to cause it to run below onto the right-hand rollers 02, not shown, in the same Way as it runs off therefrom. For this purpose, its lower side also is guided in the form of an S-loop over two closely adjacent rollers s disposed parallel to the trough e--f.

" In front of the trough e-,f and parallel thereto a fluted roller t is positioned which engages through a slot in a sheet metal member u surrounding the front portion of the trough e-f and between two of the rollers f and which, during its rotation in the direction of the arrow, assists the movement of these rollers with the band 0 about the sheet metal member e and the channel h. Within the end of this channel opposite to its outlet a rotatable shaped core may be provided for preventing the band 0 from slipping out through the gap 2'.

The rollers f with their guides g can be dispensed with, in which case the band 0 moves with one-half of its S-shaped portion directly on the inside of the member 6 which is bent to a correspondingly smaller radius and arranged in a correspondingly lower position, whereas the approximately the same diameter, and then for-.

ward again immediately above and beyond the member c.

It is further possible to omit the bands a and c.

It will then be necessary to place the trough ef and the guides g of the rollers somewhat higher, and to prolong them so that they continue at first in arc-like fashion underneath the channel 7 h and then rectilinearly backward, and to raise the device 11., o, p, q, r to the same extent. Moreover, the guides g must either extend around the channel it obliquely to the latter, similarly to the part 11 of the two edges of the band 0 (see Fig. 2), so as to axially displace the rollers f during their movement about the channel 71. in the direction of the arrow y on the inside of the trough ej and in opposite direction on the outside thereof and thus cause these rollers to roll the tobacco in the channel it and, simultaneously, move the 15 tobacco rod in the direction y, or, instead of travelling about the channel h, the rollers I might be stationary and might be turned about their axis and axially displaced toand fro in said manner by suitable means; or the rollers 1 might go be replaced by rows of rolls which are arranged in a correspondingly oblique position on stationary rotating axes.

The tobacco could be fed to the channel It not from the rear through the gap 1' but from the side at the end opposite to the outlet; In this instance and in a construction without the bands a and c, the continuation of the trough e-f and of the guides g underneath the channel It and above the driving band a as well'as the so pressing means n, o, p, q, T will be omitted.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a machine for manufacturing stumps of tobacco, a forming channel, an endless band forming said channel, means for moving said band in its longitudinal direction, and a trough disposed obliquely to this direction, said band passing in the form of a loop through said trough and leaving open between its part entering and 40 its part coming out of said trough a gap for the entrance of the fed tobacco into said channel.

2. In a machine for manufacturing stumps of tobacco, a forming channel, an endless band forming said channel, means for moving said band in its longitudinal direction, and a trough disposed obliquely to this direction and comprising'thin rollers disposed parallel to said channel, said band passing in the form of an S-loop through saidtrough and over said rollers and leaving open below its part coming out of said trough a gap for the entrance of the fed tobacco into said channel.

. 3. In a machine for manufacturing stumps of tobacco, a forming'cha'nneL'an' endlessb-and 65 forming said channel, means for moving said band in its longiitudinal direction, a trough disposed obliquely to this direction and comprising thin rollers disposed parallel to said'channel, and a fluted roller disposed in front of .and parallel to said trough and engaging between two of said thin rollers, said band passing in the form of an S-loop through said trough and over said thin rollers and leaving open belowfitspart coming out of said trough a gap for the entrance of the fed tobacco into said channel.

4. In a machine for manufacturing stumps of tobacco, a forming channel, an endless band forming said channel and serving also for feeding the tobacco to said channel, means for moving said band in its longitudinal direction, and means disposed above said bandand servingfor keeping the fed tobacco in a thin layer on said band; up to its entrance intov said channel. 7 7

5, In a machine for manufacturing stumps" of tobacco, a forming channel, an endless band forming said channel and serving also for feeding the tobacco to said channel, means for moving said band in its longitudinal direction, and a second endless band movable in its longitudinal direction and disposed partly at a distance from and parallelly above the first said band, said second band serving for keeping the fed tobacco in a thin layer on the first said band up to its entrance into said channel. 

